Pelagianism in the Formation and the Reformation
of the Christian Church

by Charles R. Biggs

Epilogue

The theology of Augustine and Luther compared to Pelagius and Erasmus are founded upon the teaching of Original Sin, whether it is truly a reasonable or natural doctrine, and more importantly, whether it is a revealed Biblical doctrine taught by Christ and His Apostles. None in these debates deny the importance of Scripture to be their foundation for not only the doctrine of Original Sin, but also the only foundation for the truth of the Christian religion. It is the interpretation of this foundational, Scriptural teaching to be so hotly debated and important in the history of the Church.

 
If the Bible is not true, this thing called the Church is not true either, except in the sense of power that it has had in history.

What is built upon this foundation of Original Sin, is that if it is a Biblical doctrine, then how can man have free will and a choice to follow Christ, but at the same time be sinful and what are the effects of this sinful condition? Augustine or Luther did not deny free will; only that man had free will to do that which he desires. Because he is corrupt and fallen in nature, he has no desire for that which is godly, and therefore, his will is in bondage to his fallen nature. If Original Sin is not true and not Biblical, and if the Bible is not true then all these arguments in Church history were for nothing. If the Bible is not true, this thing called the Church is not true either, except in the sense of power that it has had in history.

As one historian has noted: "If we do not remember the past, we are doomed to repeat it." This applies in the Christian Church where beliefs are written down, stated, debated and concluded throughout Christian history. It is important as people in the Church, or those studying the history of it, remember that these issues are not "hair splitting" and nonsensical sophistry, but touch deep down in the feelings and understandings as people. The religioso homo, or man the religious, is who we are as people. If we do believe the Scriptures and desire to know the God who is revealed in them, it is most important to understand that which He has written. It is not merely an intellectual debate at stake if Christ was who he said he was. Damnation and eternal life are the consequences of the achieving or disregarding of His salvation.

 
If we do believe the Scriptures and desire to know the God who is revealed in them, it is most important to understand that which He has written.

If he was who he said he was, the God of the universe, then it would behoove us to not only listen to him, but give our lives to understand and interpret correctly each doctrine and truth that is presented in these Holy Scriptures. Christ prayed in John 17, in what is known theologically as his "High Priestly Prayer." In it he prays to the Father:

"All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name-the name you gave me-so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message."

As Christians we need not only to study the documents and writings theologically of the church, but make it our chief business to get it right.

God or Christ's existence do not depend on whether we believe it or not. If the Holy Trinity has truly revealed himself in the Scriptures, then we can believe in an accurate, infallible Scripture to man. If He truly exists then all of our unbelief as people will not make him not exist (in fact it would affirm the condition of Original sin in which the Bible speaks). Conversely, if He does not truly exist, then all our belief will not make him so in reality. The Bible would be merely a nice historical record of a liar named Christ who said he was God, and although he did seemingly good things for people, in reality he would be the devil. No man has had such impact on history, and if he were not the Son of God as he claimed, he is a liar and has caused over half of the Western world to be deceived by his false teachings.

If we are to believe these Scriptures as truth, then as Christians we need not only to study the documents and writings theologically of the church, but make it our chief business to get it right. Because if Christ is true, then the salvation of which he speaks is of eternal importance. It is not merely a matter of hermeneutics, but a matter that touches real lives and real people in the real world.

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